# Are there bad Cubans?



## loki993 (Sep 25, 2010)

Just kind of wondering that. I'm a fairly new smoker, been smoking for nearly a year now. Exclusively NCs aside from 2 CCs that I got from some generous BOTLs. A Party Short and a SCDLH Principes. 

On the NC side of things there are plenty of cheap cigars. Some are good some are not. Just kind of wondering if someone were to try to get into the CC side of things with not a ton of money are there cheap lesser known brands out there that are still good? Is the difference between a cheap cigar and a more expensive one as great as it is with NCs. I mean before I buy a cigar that Ive never had, especially a cheap one, I like to check out the reviews here to see if they're decent. 

Id think most of the stuff that's around has to be decent right? Are they something that you really cant go wrong with whatever you get? Are there really any Cuban dog rockets? I dont even really know if there's any really cheap Cubans. I know there's plenty of reasonable ones though.


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

IMO there are definitely bad Cubans (Guantanamera comes to mind). However, I think that the vast majority of Cuban cigars are more in line with premium NCs (actually better IMO). You need to keep in mind that when buying Cubans your money can go a lot further than with NCs because you likely won;t be paying any taxes on them. 

As for where to start, keep to to the basics: Partagas Shorts, Monte #2, Bolivar PCs/ RCs. From there, branch out to various other lines. Outside of of special release smokes, most lines other than Cohiba are pretty fairly priced.


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## ninersfan (Aug 15, 2009)

The Montecristo Open series would be the only CC's I'd categorize as "BAD". This, of course, is just my opinion, others' mileage may vary. There are some marca's that I don't care for but I wouldn't say those are "BAD", they simply don't appeal to me.

(For the sake of this topic, I'll assume you are referring to "Totalmente a Mano Tripa Larga" or "Hand-made, Long-filler" cigars.)


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## CALIFORNIA KID (Nov 21, 2010)

I dont know a whole lot about CC's 

I do know that fakes are a huge problem

but I think Jim has a good point, stick to what is known to be good.


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## HydroRaven (Oct 10, 2010)

Jim pretty much summed it up. Stay away from Guantanamera and there's no telling what you might like.


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## HWiebe (Jul 13, 2010)

The very first cigar that I ever had. the one that got me into cigars was a Guantanamera on my wedding night.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

CALIFORNIA KID said:


> I dont know a whole lot about CC's
> 
> I do know that fakes are a huge problem
> 
> but I think Jim has a good point, stick to what is known to be good.


Fakes are not a huge problem at all if you buy from reputable vendors of which there are many but I will stay away from discussing that. I too agree that Jim has got the OP's answer covered. :smoke2:


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## loki993 (Sep 25, 2010)

ninersfan said:


> The Montecristo Open series would be the only CC's I'd categorize as "BAD". This, of course, is just my opinion, others' mileage may vary. There are some marca's that I don't care for but I wouldn't say those are "BAD", they simply don't appeal to me.
> 
> (For the sake of this topic, I'll assume you are referring to "Totalmente a Mano Tripa Larga" or "Hand-made, Long-filler" cigars.)


Yes, Hand made long filler for sure even for NCs. The machine made stuff dont even count or are even worth me spending money on IMO.



JGD said:


> IMO there are definitely bad Cubans (Guantanamera comes to mind). However, *I think that the vast majority of Cuban cigars are more in line with premium NCs (actually better IMO).* You need to keep in mind that when buying Cubans your money can go a lot further than with NCs because you likely won;t be paying any taxes on them.
> 
> As for where to start, keep to to the basics: Partagas Shorts, Monte #2, Bolivar PCs/ RCs. From there, branch out to various other lines. Outside of of special release smokes, most lines other than Cohiba are pretty fairly priced.


See that's what I was wondering and I kinda figured that. Also from what Ive heard and what little Ive been able to find the prices do see pretty fair on most stuff.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

> The machine made stuff dont even count or are even worth me spending money on IMO.


A bold statement Ryan after having smoked none of the Cuban tripa cortas. Try a JLP Petite Cazadore as IMHO they make better yard gars than 70% of the NC's available. YMMV though.


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## tpharkman (Feb 20, 2010)

IMHO any conversation regarding ccs, good or bad, is incomplete without mentioning years/box codes. I am not as knowledgable in these areas as others but I think the overwhelming consensus is there have been good years and bad years. That being said the 2009/10 crop seems to be a solid representation of what Habanos should be.

My point is this, there are certain years where there were a lot of bad ccs produced and sold. Similar to the wine industry when a particular year may be less than stellar. It is important to consider the potential for these "bad cigars" when considering a purchase (reference the thread on 2009 Punch Punch). It appears that among the SuPrem ncs and the Prem ccs that can easily replace these SuPrem ncs the potential for a bad box may still be a higher possibility within ccs versus ncs. I would define bad box as an offering or sampling of smokes that were not produced as the marca/vitola were intended. 

These ideas are not meant to be slams on ccs merely observations I have made in reading post after post in the threads here. There is a reason why we all love them and the potential hazzard of a bad year or a bad run or something similar is well worth the reward you receive the majority of the time when they are spot on. 

So to answer your question there are bad ccs but you will probably only find them 1 out of every 50. I love the adventure of ccs where you find yourself enjoying a hidden gem that is much lower rated and not as highly touted as something more expensive yet that particular "bad" cigar per se blows your socks off.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Jim and Thad pretty much covered a good basic overview of Habanos and it's the same principle for NC's. There are far too many NC's that have a reputation of being cheap or inexpensive if you buy them under a $3 price point as I have tried my fair share of them. It's what YOU find what YOU like that makes the difference. It's hard to tell anyone what is good or bad...you just have to find the ones you like. The good news is that there are a ton of reviews on here that will help you find some really good ones.


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## sengjc (Nov 15, 2010)

Ever heard of Guantanamera?


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

I really don't mind these threads.
What is hard is it really comes down to personal taste.
For my taste the only bad one has been mentioned.
Besides that, I would smoke them al.......Really.
Had I been able to start smoking CC's when I first started smoking cigars,
I would have saved a ton of $$$$$$ on NC's that that just didn't
do it for me.
So in many ways, it is hard to make a mistake when taking the journey.
Again, I just believe the underlying profile appeals to most.

The debate comes when you ask about the best....And we all know it's the Espy.....:fencing:


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

asmartbull said:


> The debate comes when you ask about the best....And we all know it's the Espy.....:fencing:


Oh really? That depends on your palate & the age.:bitchslap: LOL. Smoke what you like & enjoy every one else's smokes I say. :mischief:


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## sengjc (Nov 15, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> Besides that, I would smoke them all.......Really


Even the Guantanamera?


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

sengjc said:


> Even the Guantanamera?


Hell no

That's the bad one.........


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

Tashaz said:


> Oh really? That depends on your palate & the age.:bitchslap: LOL. Smoke what you like & enjoy every one else's smokes I say. :mischief:


Just checking to see if anyone reads my post........:smoke:


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

asmartbull said:


> Just checking to see if anyone reads my post........:smoke:


Of course we do my friend, you know it too. :smoke:


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

Nobody mentioned Troya. Nasty cigar, plus hard to find.

Quite the combination!


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## sengjc (Nov 15, 2010)

bpegler said:


> Nobody mentioned Troya. Nasty cigar, plus hard to find.
> 
> Quite the combination!


For a $2 smoke, I thought the Troya Coronas Club Tubulares was quite good, more substantial than a Clubs or Puritos.

You are right real hard to find. The other would be the Belinda Coronas.


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## loki993 (Sep 25, 2010)

Tashaz said:


> A bold statement Ryan after having smoked none of the Cuban tripa cortas. Try a JLP Petite Cazadore as IMHO they make better yard gars than 70% of the NC's available. YMMV though.


As Ive never had a machine made CC I have no frame of reference in that, I was merly going off of my experience with NCs. the machine made stuff here is generally garbage loaded with non tobacco additives.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

loki993 said:


> As Ive never had a machine made CC I have no frame of reference in that, I was merly going off of my experience with NCs. the machine made stuff here is generally garbage loaded with non tobacco additives.


It's all good Ryan. My point was merely this: do not compare cuban tobacco to NC tobacco or indeed the processes used in the manufacture of either, they are worlds apart. eace:


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## loki993 (Sep 25, 2010)

asmartbull said:


> I really don't mind these threads.
> What is hard is it really comes down to personal taste.
> For my taste the only bad one has been mentioned.
> Besides that, I would smoke them al.......Really.
> ...


For me there are a lotf of NC I really like actually, but theyre also all expensive, well most of them. Plus in the quest to alyways find new things, Its time to try and dip into this side of things, not to mention its something Ive always wanted to try. I mean you hear so much about them.



Tashaz said:


> It's all good Ryan. My point was merely this: do not compare cuban tobacco to NC tobacco or indeed the processes used in the manufacture of either, they are worlds apart. eace:


See and thats exactly what I was thinking too. 2 different worlds. where a NC machine made is terrible where one from Cuba is at lease decent if not good. Now not that Im gonna go out and buy the cheapes off brand CCs I can find, but its good to know its probably hard to miss on something.


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## Benji (Jan 10, 2010)

I had 8 petaca of Quintero Nacionales that I ended up leaaving out the front of my house with a "Free to good home" sign on. 

Those things are trash. 

I know some people like em as yard gars but I even tried smoking one with complete disrespect, leaving it hanging out of my mouth with the lawn mower going.. Treating it like the cheap nasty skank that it is. Still couldnt get any joy.

Good riddance! u


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## JGD (Mar 2, 2009)

Tashaz said:


> It's all good Ryan. My point was merely this: do not compare cuban tobacco to NC tobacco or indeed the processes used in the manufacture of either, they are worlds apart. eace:


This is very true. You never know what you'll find with MM Cubans, as some look very tasty (see a recent bomb I received below)...









(All from mid 80s except for the '95 Punch Punch)


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## loki993 (Sep 25, 2010)

JGD said:


> This is very true. You never know what you'll find with MM Cubans, as some look very tasty (see a recent bomb I received below)...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I totally forgot there were machine made Partagas, I had read about them on a website, cant remember the site. Its the one thats lists all the different brands with all the info on them . I have it bookmarked on my home pc.

are those long filler too, I would assume so? Nothing close to Phillies blunts or backwoods lol


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

JGD said:


> IMO there are definitely bad Cubans (Guantanamera comes to mind). However, I think that the vast majority of Cuban cigars are more in line with premium NCs (actually better IMO). You need to keep in mind that when buying Cubans your money can go a lot further than with NCs because you likely won;t be paying any taxes on them.
> 
> As for where to start, keep to to the basics: Partagas Shorts, Monte #2, Bolivar PCs/ RCs. From there, branch out to various other lines. Outside of of special release smokes, most lines other than Cohiba are pretty fairly priced.





HydroRaven said:


> Jim pretty much summed it up. Stay away from Guantanamera and there's no telling what you might like.





sengjc said:


> Ever heard of Guantanamera?


Probably the worst cigar i have ever smoked! I think its the combination of floor sweepings and pubic hairs!:tape::behindsofa::typing:


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

sengjc said:


> For a $2 smoke, I thought the Troya Coronas Club Tubulares was quite good, more substantial than a Clubs or Puritos.
> 
> You are right real hard to find. The other would be the Belinda Coronas.


The Belinda coronas in the plastic tubes are a damn good $2 smoke. Once you un do the caps and let the ammonia smell dissipate!


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## sengjc (Nov 15, 2010)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> The Belinda coronas in the plastic tubes are a damn good $2 smoke. Once you un do the caps and let the ammonia smell dissipate!


Yeap, 3 months, give or take a couple of weeks.


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## astripp (Jan 12, 2011)

I had a friend go to Cuba, he brought back a box of Guantanamera Cristales for me and I keep the box as proof of having the worst of Cuba even though I've ditched the cigars. He also brought me some Belindas which weren't horrible, but for the money I gave him I wish he would have done just a few good cigars instead of 15 shitty ones.


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## mvorbrodt (Jan 13, 2010)

The only bad Cubans are the ones with salt and baking soda on them


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